Hyperstorm

A 5e Compatible Science Fiction Role-playing Game Project

Factions

Consortium

United Systems’ Consortium of Cultures (USCC) has been the central political and economic power between the allied cultures for over five hundred years. It has created social conventions and standards to unify cultures and help them prosper.

One of the greatest achievements of the Consortium is the fargate network that connects all the significant Consortium worlds. The fargates allow near instantaneous travel and communication between two fargates, but their construction is very expensive and time consuming. Only the richest and most influential worlds can afford to build a fargate of their own, and this has created a division between the wealthy gate worlds and the less influential and poorer frontier worlds. In the recent years, this has led to separatist movements appearing around the Consortium borders – including the Edge.

Construction work on the first fargate in the Edge started roughly twenty years ago, but it was interrupted for over eight years because of the locust hostilities. Now the construction work is in progress again, and many of the metacorps are supporting it, but there are separatist worlds and other organizations that try to obstruct the efforts. During the past two years, this has led to armed conflicts between the Consortium and the separatists, and the situation seems to be getting more tense day by day. The Consortium has deployed armed forces into the region in order to secure the construction of the fargate.

Metacorporations (also “Metacorps”)

Metacorporations are commercial entities that have cultures of their own. The smallest metacorporations can consist of a few hundred citizen or even just a few dozen members, but the most influential ones rule over whole worlds. There are three major metacorps in the Edge region.

House Azuria Trade Combine – One of the largest traders and manufacturers of consumable goods, smart fabrics, ore and energy in the Consortium. House Azuria runs extensive mining and amatium extraction operations on many worlds of the Edge. During the last year or two, House Azuria has begun to expand its operations into the Lost Expanse.

Volk-Kozerog Collective – The undisputed leader in military and heavy machinery manufacturing, warclone and nemogen-slave production and military contract operations.

Nomad Clans

Nomad clans are mostly humans who live on huge interstellar space arks or wandering fleets. The Nomads usually avoid the gate worlds and move around the frontier worlds trading and offering their services to others.

Each clan has their own culture and specialties they are known for. The Nomad clans do not have actual homeworlds, but they have a few safe havens close to the Edge and the Lost Expanse.

Clan Kalaga – Known for their skills in trading and entertainment, they also have a reputation of being very adept smugglers.

Clan Saratoga – Respected mercenaries. They are known for their honor and bravery, but also for their ruthlessness.

Clan Taori – Asteroid miners and wreck salvagers, but also known as very capable privateers.

Pirates

Pirates have always been a menace on many of the frontier worlds, but the resource rich worlds and the treasures of the Lost Expanse have now drawn many a corsair ship to the Edge.